Contents
Foot Strike Observation Worksheet
Describe initial foot contact, record uncertainty and prepare questions for a running assessment. No automated gait-change prescription.
Record what you observed before deciding what it means
This worksheet summarizes a foot-contact pattern you report. It does not analyze video, diagnose an injury, rate running economy or decide that changing your gait will help. If the contact is unclear, choose Not sure rather than guess.
The descriptive categories concern the beginning of contact:
| Reported pattern | What you are describing |
|---|---|
| Heel first | The heel appears to contact before the forefoot |
| Approximately simultaneous | Heel and forefoot appear to contact at roughly the same time |
| Forefoot first | The forefoot appears to contact before the heel |
| Not sure | The view or observation does not establish the order |
The output uses your category as an observation, not confirmation that your description is correct. Initial contact alone does not tell this tool why something hurts or whether a different pattern is suitable.
Make a useful observation record
If you already have a safe, ordinary running recording, review a side view with the foot visible. Note the conditions and any limitations in the image. Do not deliberately force a different landing pattern to produce a particular answer, and do not run through pain to collect a recording.
A camera angle, low frame rate, obscured shoe or a single step may make the contact order unclear. Keep that uncertainty in the record. This page has no video upload, automated analysis or diagnostic scoring.
| Observation | Notes to record |
|---|---|
| Date / context | Was this an ordinary run, a demonstration or a race clip? |
| Surface and shoes | Describe them without assuming they caused the pattern |
| Pace or effort | Record if known; otherwise leave unknown |
| View | Side/front/rear, visible foot, image limitations |
| Initial contact | Heel / approximately simultaneous / forefoot / unsure |
| Consistency | One visible step or several? Are both sides visible? |
| Uncertainty | What cannot be seen or confidently described? |
Completed example
Illustrative observation: “Side-view phone clip on level pavement, usual shoes, easy effort. The shoe was partly obscured. I could not confidently identify which part contacted first.”
Choose Not sure. The useful output is an honest record of the limits, not a forced classification or a recommendation to change cadence.
Questions for a qualified assessment
- What can actually be established from this view?
- Would a different observation or assessment be needed?
- Is a change appropriate for my circumstances, and why?
- If a change is recommended, how would it be introduced and reviewed?
The worksheet intentionally does not ask you to choose a treatment from a broad injury label. A self-report such as “shin problem” cannot distinguish different conditions, and the same label should not automatically produce a gait modification.
What this tool does not conclude
It does not label heel contact inefficient, midfoot contact ideal, or a reported pattern the cause of an injury. It does not prescribe a cadence percentage, heel-drop exercise, shoe category or transition to another strike. Those decisions need context this form does not have.
Copy the summary and guide for your own notes, or print the blank table. Calculator entries on this page are not saved to your TrainingPlan account. Persistent pain or an injury concern calls for appropriate professional assessment rather than a verdict from this worksheet.
For definitions and the limits of injury research, read the foot-strike explanation. Keep that evidence discussion separate from the observations recorded here.